Investing in effective, inclusive and resilient health and social care systems in Europe

The COVID-19 pandemic has put healthcare systems at the forefront of everyday social and economic life in Europe and across the globe. When healthcare facilities were overburdened with an unprecedentedly high influx of COVID-19 patients, the majority of Europeans had to adapt to living under lockdowns. Indeed, protecting healthcare systems from collapse became one of the primary objectives for most countries. 

 However, prior to the pandemic, European healthcare systems were facing intensifying structural weaknesses related to ageing populations, changing lifestyles and environmental degradation. In recent decades, the growing prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and multimorbidity have been threatening progress achieved in terms of life expectancy. 

Healthcare systems have also become increasingly unsustainable financially as populations have higher needs for health and social care services while public budgets remain constrained. 

 Intensifying inequalities in healthcare 

The pandemic revealed and intensified inequalities in resources and healthcare access that existed between and within European countries. Many vulnerable social groups still struggle to access adequate healthcare services while growing gaps in physical healthcare infrastructure and medical staff across European regions continue to threaten social cohesion. Against this background, COVID-19 proved more destructive for communities that were already underserved in terms of access and quality of healthcare. 

How can health systems become more inclusive?

Our technical brief argues that a more integrated approach to healthcare investments would increase the effectiveness, inclusiveness and resilience of European healthcare systems. Investment in the five areas below would help tackle the challenges facing European healthcare systems:

1. Multidisciplinary provision of primary healthcare in local health centres with a focus on person-centred care and disease prevention. These centres would be cheaper to build and operate than hospitals or clinics, ensuring more financially sustainable and inclusive access. 

2. Community-based long-term care and support that is integrated with primary healthcare. Such services would promote promote autonomous life for persons in need and would enable many informal carers, who are typically women, to (re) join the labour market or access higher income employment opportunities. 

3. Hospitals that are smarter, more flexible, more inclusive, greener and primarily focused on delivering specialist care for acute conditions. 

4. Digitalisation of healthcare as well as more investment in health surveillance and research.

5. Increased support to ensure availability of health and social care workforces with the right skills and in the right places. 

Creating better health outcomes for all 

Well-integrated healthcare systems based on the principles of wellbeing, solidarity and sustainability would allow more Europeans to enjoy longer and healthier lives. However, the investments and approaches outlined in this technical brief will only yield the desired outcomes if they if they are environmentally sustainable, inclusive and accompanied by changes in modern lifestyles.

Post published: December 2021

Authors: Kristina Maslauskaite, Economist and Thomas Kergall, Technical Advisor for Health, Technical Assessment and Monitoring (TAM), CEB